Taco Beef with Cabbage
February 28, 2026
About this Recipe
If there is one thing I am consistently conscious about when it comes to recipe development and my personal home cooking is food costs. This is a habit grown of the past scarcity of being a single mother without child support and has continued to the present day due to the fluctuations of being a freelance creator combined with rising food costs. One of the reasons why I keep this newsletter free is because I want my recipes to be accessible to all. Anyone who has ever had to experience financial scarcity understands that the little frivolous costs (like substack subscriptions) are the first to go.
I want to respect the current economic climate, and I have eyes. I see the lines at all the food banks in Brooklyn as we drive around. I see how the lines have only gotten longer and more abundant, each venue hosting a line that wraps around the block. I find it wild that mainstream food media hardly ever joins the conversation of food scarcity. Media pushes luxury living, effectively numbing folks from the realities that the majority face. I learned pretty quickly that if I wanted eat a restaurant quality meal, then I needed to learn how to cook better. Culinary school and over a decade in the food world have taught me so many tricks and tips for meal planning, stream lining and budgeting.
I will always attribute recipes that are low cost and low effort on my site and newsletter, so you can get food on the table quickly and without breaking the bank. This easy Taco Beef with Cabbage recipe is exactly that– all you need is 1 pound of ground beef (or vegan ground meat alternative), 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning and a ½ head of cabbage and you have a hearty meal. Serve it in a burrito, in a taco, on a tostada, or over rice. Add your favorite salsa or pair it with my delicious refried beans! It’s riffable and most importantly, very tasty.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons safflower, sunflower or canola oil
- 1 pound ground beef or vegan ground meat alternative
- salt and ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1/2 head of medium green cabbage, chopped into 1 inch pieces (about 4 cups)
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, add the ground beef, breaking it up with a spoon or spatula in to one layer. Season the beef with 1 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of ground black pepper. Cook undisturbed, about 2 minutes. Stir and continue to cook until the beef is mostly browned, 2 minutes more.
- Add 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning and stir to coat the beef. Add ¼ cup of water and cook until the beef is coated in the spice mixture and the water has mostly reduced, about 4 minutes. Add the chopped cabbage, a pinch of salt and cook until the pieces are crisp-tender, 4 minutes more. Taste and season with more salt, as needed. Serve in tacos, on top of tostadas, in a burrito or a burrito bowl.
